Catharsis
by Hildebrant
Summary: After the carnival is done and everything is back to normal, all that's left, is silence right? Wrong, in one man's soul. He is screaming, screaming for freedom and for it all to go away and stop
1. Chapter 1

**Silence**

Here I am, writing my first fanfic in the Mai Hime section. I wrote it when I was in a bad mood most of the time so expect some coarse language. I own none of the characters in this story. Now onto the fic

It was over. The carnival ended, the Himes vanished and thing went back to being as close to normal as it would get at Fuuka Academy. Normal when you consider how creatures that seemed like they came from out of some warped Kaiju film did battle left and right, and when you can die and come back to life. To have been there on the other side and have come back. Everytime he bled or had cut himself whether it was a piece of paper or some other type of accident, he was thankful. That was his way of knowing he was alive. Reito was the Obsidian Lord, big surprise. That smug bastard always seemed to have things under control, never lost his temper or his cool. Mr Perfect.

Mai, the girl who more or less saved all of them. The same girl that he had fallen for. He would have dwelled on this before but this was the same girl who called him a lackey and gave him a dirty look anytime she saw him at the restaurant she worked at. Like it mattered, none of this shit mattered. All this was, was just another reason to get off of this rock. He had noticed his grades, they were somewhat okay before his trip to the afterlife but with his leaving, he was met with alot of make-up work that was currently calling for him. Sitting down he began to think. Fuuka academy was able to educate up to the University level, so if anyone had wanted to get up to a Bachelore's degree, they could. That was the last thing he wanted. The further away he got from this place, the better, and if better grades were what it would take then so be it. He wasn't going to take anyone or ask anyone to come with him, this was his decision and his alone. To bring someone along would only help to remind him of the days spent at this damn place.

Getting hit in the face and yelled at by Kuga, being yelled at by Mikoto and being yelled at by Mai. 'So all I do is screw up? Like I'm not good enough for any of you? Like I'm just some sort of Fucking Idiot?!' Tate fumed thinking about how they all looked down on him. 'Go ahead, get your fucking kicks in, get every last one in while you can, because once that diploma's mine, I'm getting the fuck out of here' Tate thought again to himself at the thought of leaving.

_"Go away, there's nothing left for you here"_

Tate heard the voice, telling him to leave, to go and run. To get the hell off of this damn rock, away from all of them. They wanted to treat him like shit, smack him or hit him. No. No it ended here.

_"Work harder than any of them, and get better, and go away"_

It spoke to him again in a voice so sweet, saying words that might as well have been a song from God. Catching the next Fairy off of this island in a day was already sounding like a good idea, but, if that were the case then he would only go back to the mainland without a degree and jobless, then they'd all be laughing at him and have something to rub into his face. 'No, not anymore. I'm the one who walks away from this island, walks away from Searss, from the Hime's, from all of this shit. You want it? Take it. I didn't come here to get caught in the crossfire, and to get treated like shit for anyone's Fucking Amusement!'

_"let it guide you"_

"With pleasure, I'll go. I'll study and get my degree, and I'll get the hell out of Fuuka Academy Forever!" Tate said rising up from his place on thr ground and tossed a stone over the edge of the cliff he was standing on. "I bet they were all hoping I'd fall off this damn thing, fall to my death, fall and break into a million fucking pieces. Well to Hell with them all. Fuck em'! Fuck it all!" Tate screamed as he stormed off of the cliff. Determined now, to leave Fuuka, and never come back

_"Goood" _The voice spoke again

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	2. Wall of Shame

Wall of Shame

**Here's chapter 2, hope you like it. You know the damn drill I own nothing. **

_Sit inside your wall of shame_

_Believing what's forgotten_

_You make it hard to find the world_

_Sit inside your wall of shame_

_And nothing even matters_

_What can you say but I'm to blame_

_Course of Nature - Wall of Shame_

Tate wandered through the town and into the restaurant that he knew Mai worked at. He didn't want to remove himself from his studies and his plan, but sustenance was required. Opening the door he looked around. He spied Shizuru and Natsuki sitting together at a table while Reito sat across from them filling out some paperwork. "I was wondering when you'd show up. I'm actually filling out files and forms we needed you to fill out Yuuichi" Reito spoke in Tate's direction. Tate heard Reito's words, but he didn't respond. 'Right, I do them while you go out and mingle. Fuck you Reito' Tate thought to himself as he took his seat. "You could at least say something to me" Reito said to the back of Tate's head. 'You're not worth the effort you self centered prick' Tate thought to himself with a sneer on his face. "Sir, may I take your order" Tate looked up and saw it was Mai's friend Akane. "Water, I'm still thinking about what I want to eat" Tate said, not bothering to meet her eyes. "I'll be right out with it sir" Akane said walking to the back.

"So Tate, did you come in hoping to get a glimpse at Mai again" Reito asked. Tate still remained silent. "Tate, yoo hoo, are you even listening to me?" Reito asked again to his silent friend. 'Loud and Clear you jackass' Tate again thought to himself. Noticing his water placed in front of him, Tate leaned forward and began to sip.

_They will only betray you, you shouldn't be around them_

The voice spoke to him again, and again its words made sense. "You still haven't answered my question, did you come in here to see Mai or not?" Reito asked again. Growing annoyed, Tate stopped sipping his drink and turned around to speak to Reito. "Reito, what business is it of yours?" Tate asked. "I'll answer your question when you answer mine" Tate responded.

To say Reito was taken back by this cold response from Yuuichi was an understatement. "I just remember hearing how close you two were and I thought that..." "Nothing has happened. I haven't even spoken to her in a week. I haven't talked to anyone in a week Reito" Tate said never failing to meet Reito's gaze. "Has, something happened Tate?" Reito said, arching an eyebrow. "Yes Reito something did happened" Tate said. "What's that?" Reito said, a little afraid of the answer. "I woke up" Tate said. Tate got up from his seat, leaving some change on the table and passed by Akane as she was heading his way. "Thanks for the water" Tate said as he opened the door to return to his studies. Walking along, Tate heard the door to the restaurant open again. "Tate, is something wrong? Come inside we'll talk about it" Reito called back to Tate. "Nothing's wrong. Now I have a biology exam to study for. Leave me alone" Tate replied walking away.

_He'll only laugh at you. He'll make you his slave_

"Tate, why are you like this? What happened?" Reito asked. "Like I said. I woke up" Tate said before heading down the street. Reito looked back to see his friend walk on with no regards to anything else around him, and only coldness as his response. "Tate, what's gotten into him?" Reito said shaking his head before heading back into the diner.

_"They will only continue to bother you, you must take precautions" _"What kind of precautions?" Tate asked. Turning a corner, Tate saw the local hardware store, with a sign that said "all locks 50 off" _"Those will do nicely" _the voice replied, Tate smiled in response.

Tate returned home and emptied his bag on his bed of all the locks he had purchased at the store, along with some screws and a screwdriver. Walking over to his door with the device, he set about applying the deadlock to his door. Each turn of the screw bringing a greater sense of satisfaction to his mind. All those bastards on the outside ever did was look down on him and treat him like he was garbage, not anymore. "So you think you can treat me like shit for as long as you want do you? Sorry you bitches but your free ride of making me feel like shit is over!" Tate said to himself angrily. Turning the final screw to get the lock into the door, Tate set the screwdriver down and sat about locking each of the locks, letting the clicks and clacks of the deadbolts and chains sooth him in knowing that he was being sealed away from those bastards and that they could get their kicks in somewhere else. "I'm alone, exactly as it should have been from the fucking beginning" Tate muttered to himself.

Walking back over to his desk, Tate opened up his books and sat about his studies.

_"Now we begin the process of becoming free forever"_ The voice spoke again, and once again Tate smiled in response.

Hope you liked it, read and review.


	3. Tear Away

Tear Away

Well here's the latest chapter where we get to see whether or not Tate's studying and the voice's advice pay off or not. I do not own any of the characters or Mai Hime. Now on with the fic

_I'm tearing away_

_Pieces are falling I cant seem to make them stay_

_You run away_

_Faster and faster you cant seem to get away_

_Break_

_Hope theres a reason_

_For questions unanswered I just don't see everything_

_Yes I'm inside you_

_Tell me how does it feel to feel like this_

_Just like I do_

_I don't care about anyone else but me_

_I don't care about anyone_

_Tear Away - Drowning Pool_

Tate once again recreated the notes and text laid out before him. He had been doing it for four hours now as he was following the orders of the voice in his head. _"Goood, gooood. Read over the lines again and proceed to rewrite them once more" _The voice beckoned. "How many more times should I do this?" Tate asked the voice. _"Until you know it and can rewrite it on instinct" _The voice replied. "Do you think that this is truly necessary?" Tate asked as he paused in his current reproduction of the notes. _"If you truly wish to be free of the clutches of these vile sirens, then action must be taken. This is the best course. You will study, you will pass, you will graduate, and you will escape while they will remain here and lure other poor, pitiful souls to their doom" _The voice spoke in a means to convince Tate. Tate had planned a retort, but had found himself thinking back again to the times that the very sirens the voice had spoke of had talked down to him. Gritting his teeth in anger, Tate gripped the pencil he was holding at both ends and began to squeeze and apply pressure as the moments came flooding back to him. _"You can't take your revenge the correct way if you break that pencil. Finish taking down the notes, and then we shall leave them in dust" _The voice replied. Satisfied with the instructions given to him, Tate took his hands from the ends of the pencil and began to take the notes down one more time

The morning had come and night had passed, and Tate did not sleep one wink through it all. This was not lost on any of his fellow classmates. "Hey Tate, did you get any sleep last night?" Takeda asked as he approached the former Kendo club member. "I didn't need to" was the only reply from Tate. "Okay, are you sure you can even stay awake, I mean you wouldn't want to fall asleep through the exam would you?" Takeda asked, concerned with Tate's appearance of dark, heavy bags that hung under his eyes. "I stayed up all night and day preparing for this exam, I'm not going to fall asleep and fail it" Tate said with a little more force in his voice. Takeda backed off at the sound of this. He was ready to retort when a voice interrupted him. "Oh Tate, Tate-kun" That voice belonged to Chie Harada, followed by her companion and fellow gossip queen Aoi Senou. They had caught wind of how close Tate had gotten with Mai Tokiha in the past week and decided to try their luck with teasing him. This was something they'd soon regret.

"So, is it true that you and Mai are an item? Have you to set a date? Have you gone all the way?" Chie asked with a leer. "Go ask Reito" was Tate's only response as he went over his notes one last time. "Why would I ask him, last I heard you and Mai were..." "Maybe you should learn to get your facts straight" Tate said interrupting Chie's response. Chie and Aoi were both taken back by this, the lackey of the student council committee was here and apparently ready to bite a few heads off. Hoping to smooth over Tate's menacing responses to the girls, Takeda intervened. "Look he hasn't had much sleep he'll be in a better mood later on" Takeda said to the girls. "No I won't" Tate replied turning a page in his book to his notes. "Is there something wrong with you Tate?" Chie asked moving past Takeda back to the desk of the student council's supposed lackey. "There was, but not anymore" Tate said slamming shut the book he was going over "We're sorry for interrupting you, we just wanted to hear about the good news about you and Mai, so we wanted to get the truth from the source" Aoi stated as she walked over to Tate. "You know something just occurred to me" Tate said to Aoi as he slowly turned his head in her direction."What's that?" Chie asked, feeling a little uneasy. Tate stood straight up and opened his eyes as he looked at the two girls known as the gossip queens. "That you two have no lives outside of sticking your noses into other people's business" Tate replied coldly. This along with the angry glare and the dark heavy bags under his eyes caused the girls to slightly backtrack, hoping to get away from the angry fellow student. It was at this time that the professor entered the classroom

"Okay class take your seats, the test will begin shortly, take your time to review your notes one last time" The teacher stated as he unloaded his bag with the scantron sheets and the exam papers. Tate's eyes never left his notes even as the other students piled in and took their seats. He never looked up once as he saw Chie nervously took her seat next to him. Her eyes perked up as she saw Mai come in at the last minute. "You're late Tokiha" the professor spoke to the panting redhead. "I'm sorry, I had to help Mikoto get to class on time and check on my brother, and..." Take your seat, the test is about to begin. 'There she goes again, going so far out of her way to help other people out' Chie thought to herself. Looking over, she spied something odd. 'He hasn't even looked up at her, what is with him?" she thought to herself regarding Tate's focus only on his notes and not the girl that he was supposedly sweet on. Looking over Chie saw Mai walk over to her seat and give a brief glimpse at Tate, only to turn around. 'I don't know what to say to him, the last time we were together, I shoved his face away. I wonder if he hates me?" Mai thought to herself as she saw Tate looking over his notes.

"Okay class notes and books away the test is about to begin, starting now" The professor said as he began to hand out the scantron sheets to the students, and then the exams papers as well. "You have one hour to finish, anyone caught cheating on this exam will fail and receive an automatic F grade, you may start. Now" the teacher said as he watched the students put their pencils to the paper. Some scratched their heads, some rubbed the back of their necks, some even rubbed their eyes in an attempt to stop the tears from coming at the difficulty of the questions. Tate however breezed through the questions. The constant rewriting of the notes had left his head filled with the answers the rest of the class was struggling with.The sixty minutes alloted to the students went by and it was then that the teacher spoke for the first time. "Okay class, pencils down. You'll get your results back tomorrow during homeroom. I'll see you all then" The teacher said as the students handed in their scantrons and exam papers on their way up to his desk. Tate placed his down on the pile and headed out. _ "You've done well, the rest is up to fate" _The voice replied. Tate just nodded in silent agreement.

The next day arrived and the students either eagerly awaited the arrival of their tests, or dreaded the end result. "So Tate, afraid of what you'll get on the test?" Takeda asked his friend. "No" Tate replied. "Did you get any sleep last night" Takeda asked again. "I have a biology exam later today, I've been up all night studying for it" Tate replied. "Tate how long has it been since you actually had a night of sleep?" Takeda asked, slightly worried of what his answer would be. Tate didn't answer as the teacher came in. "Okay class the test results are in. I'll be handing them back to you as I call out your name so please pay attention" The teacher spoke. The names of the students were all called out and everyone had received their exams back. "Phew, just barely squeaked by with a C. how about you Tate, you do any better or worse?" Takeda asked. Tate only remained silent. "Hey buddy if its that bad don't worry about it, I mean you were up all night and you didn't get any sleep and..." Takeda was prepared to continue when the teacher spoke. "I would like to congratulate all of you who passed the exam, especially one Yuuichi Tate, who passed the exam with a One Hundred and Four Percent, the highest grade of all in the class. Congratulations Mr. Tate" The teacher said in Tate's direction. "Hey, sorry I didn't give you enough credit man, my bad. Tate?" Takeda spoke Tate's name once he received no response from his friend, watching his friend look over his test paper and smile. It was a sight that had Takeda feeling nervous as Tate's brown eyes starring back at the test with a smile only the devil would approve of.

_"Good work" _the voice said to Yuuichi.

Well there's the latest chapter, hope you all like it, you know what to do. Read it and Review it


	4. Darkness Dawning

Don't own Mai-Hime, never want to own Mai-Hime, now onto the fic.

_Through the flames I see them coming_

_Through the flames I see them longing_

_They have come to end the living_

_unforetold and unforgiving_

_They are here, the crave, they hunger_

_With the damned the nights grow longer_

_Twisted limbs and twisted faces_

_Demons from the darkest places_

_But have no fear, I've come to save you_

_Trust in me, that's all you can do_

_I lay to rest your fear and worry_

_Come to me! Come on, let's hurry!_

_Darkness Dawning by Elsa Persson_

Tate awoke from his sleep and rose from his place on his desk. His notes still fresh in his mind from the previous night. Rising up Tate walked out the door of his room and headed out. Arriving at the bottom of the apartment complex, Tate headed out to the direction of the school. Moving along the usual morning rush arrived and soon Tate was among the group that was headed for the classrooms. Tate however soon felt odd as he noticed several of the people in the rushing group stopped moving. Tate noticed this and looked up from his notes and saw them turn around in his direction, their eyes focused only on him. "What're you all looking at?" Tate asked. Looking around, Tate watched as the group of people closed in around him and it was then that their faces took on a more sinister appearance as they all smiled at him.

"What's going on, hey get away from me" Tate said as some of them reached for him. "You know our secret, and because of that. You must die!" Natsuki said to Tate. "Oh shit!" Tate said as he backed off and shouldered his way through the crowd and took off. The group then gave chase and followed after him. "Dammit! This would happen. I knew they were evil I knew it!" Tate continued to run until he spied a forested area. Hoping to lose them in the trees, Tate continued to run. Reaching a clearing, Tate's hopes began to sink as he saw more people waiting for him. "What the? Oh shit!" Tate muttered as he found himself surrounded. "Now now Tate, don't you think its about time you gave up this pointless little race of yours? You are only delaying the inevitable you know?" Reito said with his usual calm look on his face.

"Maybe it is pointless Reito, hell you just might be right about all of this, like you always are." Tate said, his frustration getting to him. "However, if this is the end for me, there's one thing I have left to do. Something I know I'll never regret" Tate said with a fire in his eyes. "What's that Yuuichi?" Reito asked cooly.

"This!" Tate yelled as he sent his fist into Reito's face. Tate's fist stayed where it was, as did his defiant expresion on his face. Reito's appearance changed however, to that of an evil smirk. "Break him!" Reito uttered in a deep, gutteral growl. Tate felt the bones in one of his knees snap in half. Looking back he saw Mikoto had swung her sword right into his right leg, causing him to collapse and sink down to one knee in pain. Tate was then knocked down to the ground by Reito and watched as Mikoto slammed her sword into his other leg, shattering it above the knee, rendering it usless. All the while this was going on, the smiles on all of the girls remained.

Once enough of his bones were shatted, Tate was dragged towards a large, wooden tower. A rope was tied around his ankles and he was hoisted up to the top of the tower, hanging upside down, looking at the girls down below. Tate watched as some of the blood from his recently opened wounds rained down around him and onto the grassy floor below.

"Tate, you brought this upon yourself. You just couldn't stay quiet and you weren't able to just blend in could you. You had to find out about our plot and now, you must die. You must be purified by fire!" Reito yelled up at the hanging mob victim known as Yuuichi Tate. "Mai, if you would do the honors?" Reito asked as he placed his hands on the shoulders of the heroic redhead in front of him. "I'd be honored to" Mai said as the familiar, flaming rings appeared around her ankles and wrists. She then floated up to Tate's eye level. "Any last requsts, my "precious person" Mai said mockingly as she rubbed her hand across Yuuichi's bloodstained face. "Yeah, cut the bullshit" Tate said to the floating girl in front of him. "I was never precious to you and you know it" Tate said as more blood dripped down his face. "So true, and you know what Yuuichi? I never did get my kiss from you before you up and vanished" Mai said with mock cheerfulness. "poor, poor, pitiful you. You got half the goddamned campus' sympathy, wasn't that ever enough for you?" Tate spat back at Mai.

Mai smirked at leaned in. "Let's have a kiss for old times sake, before you die lover" Mai said with a cruel air about her. 'Yeah why not, as soon as your lips touch my mouth I'll bite them off you stupid bitch' Tate thought to himself as he readied his teeth. Mai leaned in and stopped short of Tate's lips, only a centimeter away from him. "Time to die Tate" Mai said as she flew back and away from Yuuichi. "Kagutsuchi!" Mai yelled and the familiar winged, flaming beast that fought alongside Mai appeared before her. Nuzzling affectionatley with the creature, Mai leaned in close so that it could hear.

"Burn him Kagutsuchi, burn him to ashes" Complying with his mistress' orders, Kagutsuchi opened its mouth and began to ignite.

Tate looked on as the ball of flame flew from the beasts mouth. The flames of Kagutsuchi burn on a near nuclear level, once flames of those magnitude make contact with human flesh, Nothing is left. This was the end result for Yuuichi Tate as the flames engulfed him. His death happened so fast, he wasn't around to hear the happy cheers from his fellow classmates beneath him.

Tate shot straight up in bed as the nightmare came to an end. "Oh, Shit, shit, shit. Just a dream, just a dream" Tate said to himself. _'Are you truly convinced of that?' _the familiar voice asked Tate. "I don't know. I really don't anymore" Tate muttered. Looking over at the door, he breathed a silent sigh of relief as he noticed the locks on his door remained untouched. "So, once I turn that knob am I going to my doom, or am I going to another day like any other" Tate said to himself. Leaning back onto his bed, Tate closed his eyes again. _"Beware. Peace will not be found on this island. Only when you leave it will you be free to dream peacefully" _the voice warned. Exhausted from the lack of sleep and endless studying, Tate closed his eyes and tried to fall back to sleep.

Tate awoke the next day, unrested and exhausted, more bad dreams had followed that night, and in all the dreams the girls had killed him. This had only fueled his hatred of the females that he had encountered on this island. One such female was a clingy young woman that had been with him for many many years. Shiho Munakata. Clinging to his arm, Shiho began rattling off signs of affection. Her words however still weren't reaching Tate's ears. Shiho looked around as some of the people avoided looking at Tate and even if they did they shot him dirty looks. "Big brother, why is everyone avoiding us?" Shiho asked Tate leaning in close. "Its because they don't like me Shiho, they never did, they never have, and they never will" Tate muttered to Shiho. "Yuuichi Tate!" Tate stopped where he was at the sound of his name, he groaned as he heard it coming from the resident loudmouth student council vice president Haruka, with her ever present tag-along Yukino, the real brains behind her bullshit. "You're needed in the Student Council room now, and don't be late!" Haruka shouted in Yuuichi's direction. "Oh piss off Haruka" Yuuichi muttered as he walked away, Shiho still clinging to him, this time with a shocked look on her face.

"What did you say?" Haruka shouted, a vein beginning to throb in her head. This was one time that she didn't need Yukino to speak for her. "Would you care to repeat that Yuuichi?" Haruka said as her anger began to grow. "If I feel like it" Tate said to the angered young woman, not at all feeling threatened by the vice president. He knew how much swing she had in the student council. She was treated as a joke and regarded as nothing more than a pest to both Shizuru and Reito. If anything her prescence in the student council was a joke. "I don't know where you get off saying such prude statements, but I for one won't stand for it" "That's rude statements Haruka, and Tate, you really should apologize for what you said, it wasn't kind at all" Yukino stated. "No shit" Tate muttered as he walked away from the two pests. "Big brother what's gotten into you?" Shiho asked, worried about Yuuichi's behavior.

"I woke up" was all Tate said. Tate jumped backward a bit when he saw a motorcycle pull up in front of him, almost crushing his feet. The rider, none other than Natsuki Kuga stepped off the bike and removed her helmet. "Sorry, but I'm kind of in a hurry, hope I didn't hurt you" Natsuki said without batting an eyelash. Tate could already hear the cheers from some of the girls in the background at Natsuki's cool demeanor. It pissed him off to no end. "No more than usual" Tate said as he rubbed the back of his head, thinking back to his encounter with her on the Ferry. "By the way, my head still hurts from when you pistol whipped me" Tate said as he walked away, making sure the resident ice queen heard his words. "Then get some aspirin, its not my fault you can't heal quickly" Natsuki fired back, not wanting to be put through some guilt trip from Tate before getting up and walking off towards her class. "Fucking Ice Bitch" Tate muttered to himself as he too walked to his own classes.

Tate once again went about taking down notes as soon as he got into class, avoiding the stares of his fellow classmates, wanting nothing more than to get the day over with an retreat to his room. His usual routine was broken by an old pest however. "Hey Tate, still on the rag?" That voice belonged to Chie, the same gossipy bitch who wanted to prie her nose into his business before. Apparently the bitch needed to be set straight yet again. "Sure sounds like you're on yours" Tate said as he returned to his notes. "What the hell happened to you?" Chie muttered as she took her seat next to Tate.

_"Don't let them fool with you, don't let them use you. You were a slave, a puppet, a toy for them to use and break and discard. No more. Never again"_

The voice spoke "Never again" Tate whispered, repeating the words to himself. This caused Chie's eyebrow to raise in question. "Ok class, now its time for you to open your books to page 148. Now, begin reading and at the end of class I'll call upon you to interpret in your own words what the passage means. Begin now" the elderly Literature professor spoke. Tate sat about his work in reading the book's passage and completing the task that the teacher had laid out for him. A minute or two after the reading, Tate's eyes began to droop, and his eyelids became heavy. The nights of no sleeping had begun to catch up to him. "Have to stay awake, can't fall asleep, ever" Tate muttered to himself. The minutes went by and the Teacher then spoke. "Okay, time's up class, now let's see who should I call upon, ah how about Yuuichi?" The teacher said. Yuuichi looked over the words one last time and began to speak, but was soon met with trouble. "I...think that... the author was...trying to...say that..." Tate tried speaking as he became dizzy and his head slipped out of his hand and onto his desk.

"Mr. Yuuichi, are you alright?" the teacher said as he came approached Tate's desk. 'Have to get up, have to stay awake. Have to get moving' Tate said as he rose up from his desk, moving solely on adrenaline. "I believe the author was trying to say that...that the story was meant as an allegory to..to the ways of how the animals...represent politics..of the...real world.." Tate said as he struggled to read the words in front of him. "That's correct Mr.Yuuichi, next" The teacher said as he moved on to the next student. "Stay up all night thinking of new ways to be an asshole Tate?" Chie asked in a mocking voice. "At least it doesn't come naturally like it does with you and everyone else on this fucking island" Tate muttered back angrily to the gossip queen.

The class soon came to an end and Tate walked towards the Cafeteria as best he could with minimum sleep having drained his ability to move correctly. 'Just need some sugar, some caffeine in me. Need to get some, coffee in me...' Tate thought to himself. This caused a memory to surface in his mind from before. A memory of Mai Tokiha tossing him a can of warmed coffee just as he had given her a can the previous day.

_"Don't let her poison you mind. You're so close. You must not let her or any of these sirens taunt you or torment you. They are the enemy, treat them as such" _

The voice commanded Tate. "Enemy..." Tate muttered to himself as he walked along the hallway with his hand dragging along the wall for support due to the lack of sleep he had gotten. "Need...Food" Tate muttered to himself as he dragged himself towards the cafeteria in an attempt to at least quiet his stomach since his mind wasn't going to shut up anytime soon.

"I'm telling you Mai, he's becoming a real jerk, he talks like he hates everyone around him and that everyone's out to get him" Chie said to Mai as they sat down to their lunch. "Yeah, Chie just wanted to know about how he and you were doing and he just yelled at her, he was so mean to Chie" Aoi said in response. "I'm sure he's just under a lot of stress, I mean he got the highest ranking grade on the test the other day, he must have been studying for it all night and he's just grumpy because of it" Mai said breaking apart her chopsticks and preparing to eat her Ramen noodles.

"Mai, at one time he might have been a nice guy but now he's just a creep, he's become one of those guys you need to watch out for like I told you" Chie reminded Mai of what she had said before. "It can't be that bad and if it does get that bad I'll have a talk with Tate" Mai said, hoping to put her friends at ease. The subject of their discussion had just dragged himself into the cafeteria. "There's the paranoid asshole right now" Chie muttered before going back to her lunch.

Tate wandered over to the lunches and purchased a bowl of ramen noodles and sat down. Breaking the chopsticks, he dug into his meal. It was the first one he had been able to eat in days. 'Haven't been this hungry, in God only knows how long. I need to eat' Tate continued to eat in silence until it was spoiled. "Oh, so here you are feeding your face as opposed to helping us out. We need you to move some chairs and tables for the usual meeting Tate, could you at least do that for us?" Reito asked coming over to where Tate was eating. "Tate?" Reito asked not getting a response. "Tate I've put up with your attitude for two weeks now, and I'm getting tired of it, now please will you help us out on this or not?" Reito asked again. Tate continued to ignore Reito, not even interested in answering his questions. To Tate, Reito was still the smug, arrogant bastard who never had any problems, why bother even acknowledging the sonuvabitch if he was just garbage anyways. "I'm Talking to you!" Reito screamed as he sent the back of his hand across Tate's face, spilling broth and the chopsticks which were in Tate's mouth at the moment. That was something Tate was unable to ignore.

Rising up from where he stood, Tate began to glare at Reito, angered at what he had done. The jerkoff wanted his attention? He had it now. "So, you really want me to move shit around for you? You really want me to go run around and be your little slave, your little fucking lackey? huh? Is that it Reito? What can't you do shit for yourself? Huh? Why don't you answer me now Reito, Answer me you son of a bitch!" Tate practically screamed. The surrounding students in the cafeteria backed away, knowing a fist fight would soon erupt.

Tate was prepared to throw his fist back into the face of that pompous asshole when he felt a tug. Looking back he saw it was Kazu, one of his fellow classmates. "Tate come on, just apologize and let it go, I'm starting to worry about you just, please let it go" Kazu said worriedly. "Kazu, I..." Tate was unable to finish his statement, when he saw Reito's fist come crashing into his face.This caused Tate to fly back into another table and out of Kazu's grip. "Reito why did you go and do that? He wasn't going to hit you" Kazu asked shocked at the student chairman's actions. "Kazu if you'd had let him go he would have attacked me, I wasn't going to take any chances" Reito said as he rubbed his knuckles.

Tate sat back against the table he had been thrown against. Feeling the blood ooze out of his nose and drip down onto his vest, his anger began to boil over.

_"They've betrayed you, they're showing their true colors. Don't trust them. Let them feel your pain. Your PAIN!"_

The voice shouted in Tate's ears, and he heard it. Mai ran from her chair to try and go to Tate's side, but once she reached him, she saw in blinding fury as Tate leapt from the floor and slammed into Reito, slamming him into a table as well. The anger from the past year, the festival, and this incident had finally given Tate the ammunition he needed to take out his frustration on the student chairman. Tate readied his fist to slam it into Reito's face, readied to erase the hate, the anger, everything when something occurred. "No Tate don't!" Tate soon came to his senses when he heared those words. Looking back, he saw that it was Mai who had yelled them out. "Mai..." Tate said softly.

_"What are you doing you fool? Don't let her use you. They'll all use you, they'll use you and lead you to your downfall! Don't let them near you, don't even associate with them! Run, and return to the apartment!" _

the voice ordered.

Rising up from where he was, Tate ran out of the cafeteria and back to his apartment. The voice had spoken to him twice in one day. It ordered him to hurt someone, to leave behind those whom he had regarded as friends.

_"Close, too close. You almost had him, you could have crushed him, crushed someone who had mocked you and used you as a tool. You are a fool!"_

The voice yelled. Tate with exhaustion, fatigue and even a bit of worry weighing down on his mind, Tate still found some strength to ask a question. "Who are you? What are you?" He asked, desperate to have a name and a description given to him.

_"You wish to know what I am Yuuichi?" _The voice asked with what Tate knew was a smirk on whatever passed for its face. _"I am what came to you just as I have come to everyone else in the past. I came to those who were at their end, those who wanted an answer for their pain. You wish to know what I am? To you, I am this: The cry of the abandoned child. The whimper of the whipped beast. I am the face that stares back at you from the shadowed mirror. The hollowness at the heart of all your hopes, I am despair. Now get with the fucking program! _The voice shot back in anger.

"What did you say to me you bastard?" Tate shot back, only to cringe in terror at what he saw. He saw standing before him was himself. His flesh a gray, smoldering ash where smoke was billowing out of. His eyes a clear white, his hair a darkened black color. What terrified Yuuichi the most, was the smile the being standing before him wore. It's teeth, white as chalk and sharpened to needle like points. Smoke billowed from its mouth, while bits and pieces of its flesh chipped away and falling to the ground, yet vanishing before they hit the ground.

_"Now you see what stands before you, what has been lying dormant in your mind, what has been feeding off of all of your repressed anger, spite, and hatred of those vile harpies, those worthless whores who continuously condemned you for all of your good deeds. Look not at anyone other than yourself for giving birth to me, you are as responsible for bringing me into this world just as all the whores are responsible for bringing more bastard children into it. Like it or not Yuuichi Tate, I am the only one you can trust on this detestable rock, until you are able to walk off of it. Never let your guard down, never talk to anyone else, never associate with anyone else. You are a pawn to them, just as they are an enemy to you. Never trust them, trust only me, they don't give a fuck about you like I do" _The being said to Yuuichi as he slumped down in slight fear at the sight of the being. "What do I call you? Do you have a name? Yuuichi asked.

_"Oh I have so many names" _The Being replied. "Satan?" Yuuichi asked. _"Call me..." _The being was poised to reveal his name and identity to Yuuichi but a knock at the door interrupted it. "Yuuichi, Yuuichi open up, Yuuichi we need to talk. Yuuichi?" Tate knew the voice. It was Mai's. _"You can only trust in me, not them. Send them away, there is work to be done" _The voice replied. Seeing no way out, Tate obeyed.

Undoing some of the locks, Tate opened it partway and saw Mai standing outside the door, with Shiho, Chie, and Natsuki flanking her. "I didn't know you were bringing company Mai, otherwise I would have put on some tea" Yuuichi replied. "You probably would have pissed in it anyways" Chie replied angrily. "Only in yours" Tate fired back, narrowing his eyes. "Bastard!" Chie said angrily. "Is there a reason for any of your crowding around my door like this? Because I have to get back to my studies" Tate replied, losing his pantience. "Tate I just want to talk, I saw what happened to you at the lunchroom, if you like I could go with you and help you sort things out with Reito to make it easier" Mai asked. Leaning in to her face as best he could through the remaining locks, Tate replied. "I don't want to see that piece of shit at all, now leave" Tate replied in a cold hearted voice. "What's gotten into you as of late, you're not the same as you were before" Mai said in fear. "I woke up, that's all" Tate said as he closed the door on the three women. "Just when I thought he couldn't become an even bigger jerk, he goes and surprises me. "I didn't think he'd be the type to hold a grudge after I hit him upside the head like that" Natsuki said thinking back to the Ferry.

"Something's wrong with him, he's different, he's changed" Mai said, rubbing her arm, worriedly.

Tate slumped down the door after he had heard the girls all leave his room and once they had gone, he had laid his head on his arms, feeling a bit of guilt over what he had done. _"Don't you dare shed a tear over them. They aren't worth the pity, not a single damned one of them" _The voice replied angrily. "Just shut up" Tate replied. _"You fool" _The voice replied angrily. Tate soon found himself getting slammed up against the wall headfirst. _"Do not think that I will let you go without punishment. You are to thank me for what I have provided you with. I will help you achieve a much higher goal than what these accursed shrews will ever achieve. But to reach it, you must block them and everyone from your mind at all costs, and unless you wish to receive a far greater pain than what you had just received. Do you understand?" _The voice asked of Tate.

"Yes, I understand" Tate replied. _"Good, now rise and approach your desk, and begin reading the notes, its time to go to work" _The voice replied as Tate followed his orders.

Some of the speeches and lines made by the Being/Voice in this fic were borrowed from some fairly well known horror films. When first speaking to Tate I used the speech of the Djinn from the first Wishmaster film, and when Tate asked what he is, I used some of the exchange between Al Pacino and Keanu Reeves in the film Devil's Advocate. Hope it doesn;t bother anyone that I borrowed them. Now Read and review.


	5. Chapter 5

Newest chapter, not that anyone cares. Read and review, don't own anyone don't want to own anyone. on with the fic

**Never sleep Again**

_don't turn away_

_don't give in to the pain_

_don't try to hide_

_though they're screaming your name_

_don't close your eyes_

_God knows what lies behind them_

_don't turn out the light_

_never sleep never die_

_i'm frightened by what i see_

_but somehow i know that there's much more to come_

_immobilized by my fear_

_and soon to be blinded by tears_

_i can stop the pain if i will it all away_

_Whisper by Evanescence_

Tate sat in his room alone, sleep had once again evaded him as the nightmares had once again robbed him of any chances of getting any sleep. His only real solace came from the voice, the very voice that had threatened his life not even a day ago. _"Wide awake I see. Very good, we have things to discuss." _The voice stated. "What is there to discuss?" Tate asked, almost afraid of the answer. _"About the girl, the one with the red hair who still seems to worry about you" _the voice replied with a bit of a snarl to its voice. "What about her" Tate enquired, trying to fight back a yawn so as to not drift off and come face to face with another nightmare. _"She wants to distract you, she wants to stop your plans, she wants to keep you here to be her slave and punching bag. She'll come to you everyday about her problems and when you think you've secured a place in her heart, she'll discard you and rid herself of you, much like how all of the young girls do to their toys. _The voice said in a mocking sort of voice. "Mai isn't the type of girl to do that she wouldn't" Tate said, trying to argue. _"You tried to help her so many times, you went to her hoping to be of use, yet everytime she spurned you and told you to leave so she could handle things herself, and in the end you perished for her. Tell me, is she still worth dying for now?" _The voice asked Tate, wondering what his response would be. "I, just wanted to...I just wanted to help her, all I wanted was to..." Tate tried choking out a reply, trying to win the arguement despite the solid arguement of the voice.

_"You died for her, you gave your own life just so she wouldn't have to fight anymore, and even when you came to protect her in the final battle, she still professed her love for the girl she lives with, over you. Quite a fetching young woman isn't she? _The voice replied. "She, she...she did, didn't she?" Tate replied, his resolve finally beginning to slip away. _"When you died that day, what was it like, did it feel like the chains were removed like you were finally set free?"_ The voice asked Tate its rather morbid question. "It felt, like nothing else. Like I no longer had to worry, like I no longer had to think about Mai, or Shiho, or helping them, or looking out for anyone. Like it was finally over. I was scared, but I was still relieved" Tate replied. "I guess that's why, when I died, I smiled, because all of it was over." Tate said again.

_"Is she still worth dying for, again?" _The voice asked. "I'm not sure, but right now I don't think she is" Tate replied somewhat somberly. _"Give up on her, she is of no use to you now. She is the enemy now. She is against you and conspires against you alongside the rest of them. Do not place your trust in her, forget her. Even if you were to apologize for your outburst over what happened, they will never forgive you. The masters loathe it when the slaves think for themselves. When the lesser beings rise up against the upper class, then there can only be problems. You are dead to them all" _The voice replied. "I'm dead to them, dead to them all" Tate repeated. _"Goood, now, rise and return to your desk. It's time to work" _The Voice ordered.

The next day had arrived and Tate walked towards the schoolbuilding with the same lethargic steps that he had been accustomed to. He had studied non-stop and had been struggling to keep the knowledge in his head while fighting to keep his eyes open. Stumbling into the classroom, Tate pulled out some of his notes and began to study them, but before he knew it, his head had slumped forward. _"Get up you fool, do you wish to fail and continue to let them taunt and tease you?"_ The voice replied angrily. "...No" Tate replied tiredly. _"Then Get Up!" _The voice growled. "I'm...so tired, I need sleep" Tate muttered. "Then why don't you just go home and get some sleep, its not like we ever wanted to see your mug around here anyways". Tate knew that voice, and he loathed it. Looking up he saw it was none other than Chie, here for her usual banter. "I've got a splitting headache, a big appetite and a bad case of insomnnia, and the last thing I need from you Chie is any of your shit today!" Tate said getting up and placing his face right in front of Chie's "You always seem to have just enough energy to yell at one of us but you have to push yourself through everything else, kind of funny isn't it?" Chie said to Tate almost mockingly. "Don't push me right now, I'm in a bad mood and if you don;t want me putting my hands around your throat then get the fuck out of my face!" Tate yelled back

Undaunted Chie didn't back down once from Tate's angry threat. "You know I don't know what it is Mai sees in you, but she does care about you, and I'll be damned if I ever know why" Chie said as she turned to walk back to her seat. Tate still feeling angry at the gossip queen spoke once again. "Funny, I was beginning to wonder that myself, and why I even gave a damn about her in the first place. Hell its not like she really does give a rat's ass about me. I was there when it all ended Chie I know what she said to Mikoto, and I remember her shoving my face away. So maybe you're the one who's wrong now" Tate said walking towards the door. "Oh so you're skipping class now? Too good for it are we Tate?" Chie taunted. "I wouldn't call it skipping, rather I'm calling it getting the fuck away from you, and everyone else in this motherfucking school!" Tate yelled as he stormed out of the classroom.

Walking along, Tate exited the building and soon his angry pace lead him out to the streets of Fuuka island. 'Mai likes me, what a load of shit. I know who she likes. The same person she rescued on the boat, the same person she always cared for, Mikoto. All I've been here is nothing more than a whipping boy and I for one am fucking tired of it' Tate muttered.

"Mai he's even angrier than usual today just stay away from him he might even hurt you or someone else" Chie tried arguing with Mai to keep her away from Tate. "I hoped he would have cooled down, but I guess I need to talk to him" Mai replied back. "Mai he didn't want to talk to you before and he won't want to talk to you now just stay away from him before something bad happens" Chie pleaded once again. "I think its because no one talked to him before that this actually happened, and I didn't help by shoving his face away either" Mai said with a hint of sorrow in her voice. Seeing Tate walk out of a nearby store, Mai called out. "Tate! Hey Yuuichi!" Mai called out. Tate didn't respond however. "Hey Tate its me, come here!" Mai yelled again but still received no response. "Tate!" Mai yelled again, this time she got a response. "Get away from me" Tate spoke back. Mai was suddenly taken back by the cold response she had received from the young man in front of her. "Honey.." Mai spoke again. This caused a slight flinch in Tate. _"Don't let her control you, she is only luring you into a trap, don't let her near you" _The voice commanded. Slowly, Tate rose from his bent over position, and looked over at Mai and her little group. "Mai" Tate said clearly. At this Mai began to calm down a little and slowly began to approach Yuuichi. "I need to know something" Tate spoke clearly to the girl in front of him.

Slightly worried at his clear and even tone of voice, Mai spoke. "Yes, Yuuichi". "Let's be honest Mai. Did you ever feel anything for me at all?" Tate asked cooly. Mai wanted to speak, to give him an answer, but in that second, her voice stopped. Her throat dried up, and the gears in her mind began to turn. 'So she has to think about it. Well its time for my offer' Tate thought. "If you don't, then its fine. If you want to go to Mikoto then go to her. I don't mind being friends Mai, but I do mind being lied to and lead along. So go ahead and make up your mind. As for me, I'm turning around, and walking back to the classrooms and getting what I can of today's lesson" Yuuichi said.

True to his word, Tate walked past Mai and past Chie. "When can I see you again Tate, I really want to talk to you" Mai said again. "That all depends Mai, do you really want to see me again? Or would you rather go and see someone else?" Tate asked, answering Mai's question with another question, one he knew she wouldn't be able to answer right off the bat. "Tate..." Mai's voice was tinged with sadness and the thought that Yuuichi didn't truly return her feelings at all.

Walking past Chie, Tate stopped when he heard her speak up. "Aren't you even going to apologize for all of this?" Chie said, her voice not tinged with the open anger that she had seen from Tate in these past few days. "Would you even accept it anyways?" Tate replied. "Stop answering questions with questions!" Chie said angrily, growing tired of Tate's apparent arrogance at dodging the words being thrown at him. Uninterested in answering the girl's question, Tate continued onwards. This had finally been all Chie could take. "You, BASTARD!" Chie screamed as she grabbed Tate's shoulder and prepared to bring her hand back in the hardest and meanest slap she could muster. This was not to be however, as her hand was caught by Yuuichi's. Slowly turning his head back and forth, Tate's voice sunk down to a whisper which was only able to be heard by he and Chie. "No, never again, no more" Tate replied as he threw Chie's hand to the ground, causing her to stumble slightly. Tate continued back to the school, until he had heard the bell and noticed the classes were being let out. Seeing no more reason to stay, Yuuichi walked onward to his apartment.

"Go ahead and run back to your hole you creep, you fucking bastard, you goddamned insect! I hope you fucking Rot and die you piece of shit!" Chie's words reached Yuuichi's ears, but he no longer cared. None of this mattered, not a goddamned bit of it. Mai heard her friend's words, and knew that she had meant what she screamed.

"Mai I don't know what the hell you ever saw in him but he has become the biggest jerk I've ever seen in my life. Its like he refuses to be nice for even a damn second! Like it'd kill him to honestly be nice" Chie said as she steamed over what had just happened. "Yuuichi" Mai said to herself somberly.

_"You handled that quite nicely, you put them in their place very well" _The voice said in a compliment to Yuuichi. Smirking, Yuuichi continued onwards.

That night, most of the student body slept, figures moved through the school building. A few lights flickered on to life in the Student Council classroom. It was soon filled with the people most known for having meetings in it, along with a few others. "Alright is everyone here?" Reito asked. Looking across the room, he spied Mai, Mikoto, Natsuki, Shizuru, Kazu and Takeda. "Okay then I think we all knwo why we're here, so let's get started.

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